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Natural skincare for kids: the brand built by a mum who saw a gap

Grow London LocalMatching London small businesses to support

Posted: Fri 1st May 2026

Having noticed a gap in the market for skin products dedicated to tweens and teens, founder Esther Franklin created Harly and first introduced her products to her daughter's schoolmates.

With an increasing interest in these products, Esther has looked at social media to promote the brand and surprisingly found that her audience is really the parents, not the tweens.

Consequently, her social strategy focuses much more on finding the parents on Facebook, Instagram and even LinkedIn.

Read more about Esther's story and how she's scaling up Harly from her kitchen counter – with Grow London Local's help.

Tell us about you and your business.

My business is called Harly. It's a natural children's skincare brand aimed at ages eight to 16, supporting young, developing skin through the tween and teen years.

The focus is on age-appropriate products – no harsh actives or adult formulas. Everything is designed from the ground up, specifically for children.

Harly started from a very personal place. I'm a mum to a tween girl and I noticed how quickly the skincare interest was forming in her generation.

Many children were using products completely inappropriate for their age and skin. I saw a clear gap in the market and wanted to create something different.

What inspired you to start the business?

Harly is named after my daughter, Harlan. My aim was to deliver safe, natural, dermatologist-considered skincare, alongside education.

There was a lot of skincare available, but no-one was explaining how, when or why to use it. Children want to start cleansing their faces, but without guidance, they end up using unsuitable products.

I wanted Harly to be a parent-trusted, kid-friendly skincare range and that message is central to the brand.

My background is in design and manufacturing. I spent around 30 years in fashion and manufacturing, so product design and packaging came naturally to me.

For formulation, I researched and partnered with a UK-based dermatologist who shared my ethics and standards. Together, we developed formulas that are safe, effective and age-appropriate.

Does your daughter use the products?

Yes, absolutely. She attends an all-girls school and that environment became my biggest playground for focus groups and research.

Seeing how children interact with products and what they like and don't like was invaluable.

Doing focus groups helped shape the launch. I introduced four products rather than one, because it became clear that children need a step-by-step programme rather than something overwhelming or too minimal.

What challenges have you faced since launching your business?

One of the biggest challenges was the fragrance.

Children want products that smell nice – it's sensory – but perfume often contains synthetic ingredients. Within one fragrance, there can be hundreds of synthetics, which can cause issues for young, developing skin.

The challenge was creating a premium product that's natural, clean and still desirable. That balance took a lot of research.

Funding has also been a huge challenge – especially as a female founder. You can have an idea, validate it and build community, but scaling is difficult.

Questions like how to get into Boots, how to go mainstream or how to build a platform on social media can be really challenging.

I realised that my customer is actually the parent. Children use the products, but parents have buying power.

Over the summer, I spoke directly to children and parents to understand where to focus. Younger children aren't on TikTok and many parents aren't either – they're more active on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn.

Being in front of customers through pop-ups made the biggest difference. I've sold a lot through Instagram, LinkedIn and in-person events.

Parents want natural skincare for their children, but there's nowhere they can easily find it. There's a huge white space in the market.

What makes Harly unique?

The products are 99% to 100% natural, extremely clean and designed specifically for sensitive, developing skin. They're high-quality, effective and accessible in terms of price.

There's a misconception that natural products don't work, but they can be even more effective.

People are becoming more aware of how synthetic ingredients affect children, including hormonal imbalances and skin microbiomes. Building that awareness is key.

How did you discover Grow London Local and how have they supported you?

I attended one of the Grow London Local events and later had a call with Lai, one of their Business Support Managers, who shared a really helpful list of resources.

One of the most impactful was being introduced to Female Founders Rise, which offers full support to female founders. They hosted a series of webinars covering launching, funding and branding, which was invaluable.

I've also attended several Grow London Local networking events, including the Covent Garden event, where I met other founders and heard their stories. The opportunity to connect with people at a similar stage was incredibly valuable.

What impact has Grow London Local had on your business?

The biggest impact has been guidance around funding and helping me channel my time and energy in the right direction.

As a very small business – essentially just me – having access to free support saves an enormous amount of time. I would definitely recommend Grow London Local to other founders.

How do you balance running a business with family life?

Right now, my kitchen is my office, production space and packaging area. That's how many small businesses start – keeping overheads low.

My family is very involved and my daughter helps a lot. It's grounding and she gets to see first-hand how a business is created. That exposure has been really special.

What are your plans for the future?

I launched the brand at my daughter's summer fair to test the products and pricing. The last few months were about pop-ups and being directly in front of customers.

Now I've proven demand and have repeat customers, which is really encouraging. The next phase is to grow online, build our social presence and move into B2B, working with retail stores.

Finally, what advice would you give to other founders?

Don't wait for the perfect moment – it doesn't exist. You learn as you go and mistakes are part of the journey.

Use your connections, community and skillset. Things evolve, doors open and momentum builds if you keep going.

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